Automatic hatchway-guard for elevators



No Model.)

o. K. ROGERS. AUTMTIC HATCHWAY GUARDFOR ELBVATORS.

Patented Mar. 3, 18,85.

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COLUMBUS K. ROGERS, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,450, dated March 3, 1885.

Appiicaxion flied November 1e, iss-i. (No model.) I i T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GoLUMBUs K. Roel-sns, of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States,

have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Automatic Hatchway-Guards for Elevators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

This invention relates to the automatic opening and closing of a gate at the entrance to an elevator-shaft by the rise and fall of the elevator. i

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section transverse to the plane of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line M of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents the elevator and .its attachments for operating the gate. (Shown in section at Fig. 2.) v

In the drawings, A is the gate which closes the hatchway and which is to be moved. It slides up and down in the ways N on the 2 5 jambs J of the hatchway, with which way it engages by means of two dowels, a a. These ways N have a switch at the top, n, into which the guide-pin a2 runs when the gate A is at its highest point. At each end of the ways are pulleys D, and on the elevator side of the ways is achain-guard, L. Over these pulleys D is an endless belt, rope, or chain, and preferably a lathe-chain or sprocket-chain to secure perfect uniformity in the travel of the two ends of the bar A. The opposite ends of this belt or chain C are made fast to ears E on the bar A. A dog, F, is made fast to a proper point on the belt C, and this dog F is adapted to engage with a gravity-pawl, G.

On the elevator side of the gate A, and

' nearer toward its center than the ears E, is

I the elevator the gravity-pawl G will disengage itself from the dog F and the gate A will descend by its own weight, while if the elevator be stopped just before the disengagement the gate will remain up. In the ascent of the elevator the gravity-pawl G willxbe free to snap past the dog F, and so no' effect will be produced upon the chain in the upward motion of the elevator. Vhen the elevator is moving up, on the contrary,the gravity-pawl H, situated'about the length of the ways away from the gravity-pawl G and on the upper part of the elevator,will engage with the dog K on the bar Aitself,and as the elevator goes up will lift the said bar or gate A to the top of the ways N. If the elevator be now stopped, the gate will be sustained at this height on the gravity-pawl H. If, however, the elevator moves on to go to a still higher elevation, the guide-pin a on the end of the gate A will enter the switch a at the end of the ways N,

and withdraw the upper edge of the bar A and with it the dog K from the elevator, thus disengaging the dog K from the gravitypawl H.

In the descent of the elevator the parts which operate to raise the gate in its ascent are arranged to engage and prevent the gate from slamming down, and the parts which opcrate to raise the gate in the descent of the elevator are arranged to engage during its ascent and similarly ease down the gate, and either gravity-pawl may be arranged to clasp its dog positively above as well as below.

A hatchway-guard was patented to Voods, May 3, 1881, No. 241,111, wherein a counterpoised gate was lifted by engagement of a dog on the gate with a gravity-pawl on the car, and in which the ways for the gate had switches at the top, and I do not claim as of my invention anything described in said Woodss pat-l IOO chain-pulleys above and below and fast at each end to the gate, in lieu of the counterpoise, its guides, and single-pulley purchase, because my construction makes the car the counterpoise of the gate. I prefer to guide only the gate in cam-guides, as Voods did, instead ofguiding both gate and counterpoise in cam-guides, as Stevens did. I prefer to have the dogs on the gate and chain and the gravity-parvis on the car, because of ease of repairs, and I prefer to disengage my chainpawl by having it retire below the pulley, instead of guiding it by slots, as easier of adjustment and equally certain of action.

Having thus fully described my invention, l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the 'United Statesl. An uncounterpoised automatic hatchway-guard consisting of a gate guided in ways which curve away from the elevator-shaft at their upper ends by two pins on a side-one near the upper and one near the lower edge of said gate-which gate carries on its elevator-shaft side dogs, K, suitably located to engage with pawls on the elevatorcar, and which gate is suspended at each end by a lathe^chain passing over chain-pulleys at top and bottom ofthe ways and made fast at both ends to the gate, whereby the gate is made to descend,when released,evenly at each end, in combination with gravitypawls on the upper part of the elevator-car, substantially as de scribed.

2. An uncounterpoised elevator hatchwayguard consisting of a gate guided in ways by pins, which gate is suspended by lathe-chains passing over chain-pulleys at top and bottom of the ways, and each made fast at both ends to the gate, each of said lathe-chains being provided with a dog on the elevator-shaft side, in combination with a gravity-pawl on the elevator-car near its bottom, suitably l0- cated to engage with said chain-dogs, substantially as described.

3. In an uncounterpoised automatic elevator hatchway-guard, the combination of a gate guided in ways which terminate upwardly in a switch inclined away from the elevatorshaft, lifting-dogs on said gate, lathe-chains, one at each end of said gate, both ends of each of which chains are fast to the gate, a depression-dog on each of said chains, chainpulleys for the lathevchains on each side of the gate above and below the ways, an elevator-shaft, and ascending and descending carby means of gravity-pawls on said ear near its top and bottom, whereby the gate may be lifted when the car passes its hatchway, either np or down, held up when the car stops at its hatehway, and the rate of descent of the gate is regulated by the rate of motion ot the elevator-car, substantially as described.

COLUMBUS K. ROGERS.

lVitnesses:

E. A. PHALEN, Trios. WM. CLARKE. 

